BACKGROUND
I've done my fair share of murdering and the one thing that I've learned, if I've learned anything, is that no 2 chips are the same. Like snowflakes, even chips within the same run could have different issues when removing their label. The trick is to find The Process - the specific set of steps that work the best for that type and then adapt to the outliers that don't cooperate. This has worked for me for THCs, RHCs, Matsui's, and Gemaco. So, when I started in on my Bud Jones S2 chips. imagine my surprise when nothing seemed to work.
The Bud Jones S2 chips are their budget chip, especially compared to the V7's. Mine happen to be slugged, but I also know that some people say that non-slugged versions exist. I can't find any documentation from Bud Jones on this, so for the sake of this tutorial, let's assume they don't. Their label is awful. It might look OK, but it's the worst I have ever seen during deconstruction.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Normally, my process has been to slice into a chip as parallel to it as I can. Then, I use some isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and let it sit on the inlay/label. It will penetrate the edges of the recess as well as through my center slice. And after a few minutes, I can continue my cut toward the edge and then peel the label off. I have different degrees of IPA (70%, 91%, etc) that I can use. Sometimes the compounds in hand sanitizer do the best job of dissolving the adhesive. Sometimes, I need pure IPA.
If this fails, I will then remove the laminate and reapply the IPA to dissolve the remaining adhesive and then remove the vinyl label that remains. When all else fails, I will resort to non-acetone nail polish remover (NANPR) which has always been my last line of defense. This requires greater care and rinsing since the NANPR can fade the chip (or worse, cause physical damage)
So, I went about murdering the S2's following my standard process. However, each step of the way, the label seemed to get progressively WORSE. With 70% IPA, the label (which is not vinyl) tore. And, like I said, it didn't just rip; it sheared off, making removal of the remnants a scrape-a-thon. I tried all of my IPAs with different wait times, and finally, I tried NANPR. Nothing was working...
Something in one of the solvents was reacting with the label! I dug through my garbage and found some of the labels I had removed and they were dissolving. Not just the NANPR ones, but ALL OF THEM. And then it hit me: what if the Bud Jones S2 labels were so shitty, that they were dissolving along with the solvent and making it 1,000 times harder to remove?
Yes, that was it! The very process that I had used for so many years was actually working against me here. The solvents were dissolving the labels and making them impossible to peel. So, now that I had identified why these labels were being so difficult, how do I fix it? Well, why don't we try removing them from the equation entirely and attempt a DRY PULL of the label.
It worked! The label didn't rip or shear at all. I repeated the process many times, and only about 5% of the labels had a slight bit of shearing right near the end. This process, however, left adhesive behind, so that needed to be cleaned off. But, in the end, I cracked the process for S2 murder....
THE PROCESS
THE FINAL REVEAL
Originally, when using IPA or NANPR, this took me nearly 10 minutes per chip! However, once I realized that I was better off with a dry pull, I got it down to about 1 minute per chip...
I've done my fair share of murdering and the one thing that I've learned, if I've learned anything, is that no 2 chips are the same. Like snowflakes, even chips within the same run could have different issues when removing their label. The trick is to find The Process - the specific set of steps that work the best for that type and then adapt to the outliers that don't cooperate. This has worked for me for THCs, RHCs, Matsui's, and Gemaco. So, when I started in on my Bud Jones S2 chips. imagine my surprise when nothing seemed to work.
The Bud Jones S2 chips are their budget chip, especially compared to the V7's. Mine happen to be slugged, but I also know that some people say that non-slugged versions exist. I can't find any documentation from Bud Jones on this, so for the sake of this tutorial, let's assume they don't. Their label is awful. It might look OK, but it's the worst I have ever seen during deconstruction.
- Extremely thin plastic laminate that is prone to cracking while peeling
- The label itself is also rather thin, and just when you think you might have it pulling away nicely, it'll start to rip.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Normally, my process has been to slice into a chip as parallel to it as I can. Then, I use some isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and let it sit on the inlay/label. It will penetrate the edges of the recess as well as through my center slice. And after a few minutes, I can continue my cut toward the edge and then peel the label off. I have different degrees of IPA (70%, 91%, etc) that I can use. Sometimes the compounds in hand sanitizer do the best job of dissolving the adhesive. Sometimes, I need pure IPA.
If this fails, I will then remove the laminate and reapply the IPA to dissolve the remaining adhesive and then remove the vinyl label that remains. When all else fails, I will resort to non-acetone nail polish remover (NANPR) which has always been my last line of defense. This requires greater care and rinsing since the NANPR can fade the chip (or worse, cause physical damage)
So, I went about murdering the S2's following my standard process. However, each step of the way, the label seemed to get progressively WORSE. With 70% IPA, the label (which is not vinyl) tore. And, like I said, it didn't just rip; it sheared off, making removal of the remnants a scrape-a-thon. I tried all of my IPAs with different wait times, and finally, I tried NANPR. Nothing was working...
I was PISSED. Like, epic William McKinley level PISSED. |
So, I took a bourbon break, and then I came back to this: |
Something in one of the solvents was reacting with the label! I dug through my garbage and found some of the labels I had removed and they were dissolving. Not just the NANPR ones, but ALL OF THEM. And then it hit me: what if the Bud Jones S2 labels were so shitty, that they were dissolving along with the solvent and making it 1,000 times harder to remove?
Yes, that was it! The very process that I had used for so many years was actually working against me here. The solvents were dissolving the labels and making them impossible to peel. So, now that I had identified why these labels were being so difficult, how do I fix it? Well, why don't we try removing them from the equation entirely and attempt a DRY PULL of the label.
It worked! The label didn't rip or shear at all. I repeated the process many times, and only about 5% of the labels had a slight bit of shearing right near the end. This process, however, left adhesive behind, so that needed to be cleaned off. But, in the end, I cracked the process for S2 murder....
THE PROCESS
| Start out by looking at your chip. But don't just look, peer. Peer deep into its soul. Let it know with your eyes that you are about to violate it. But assure it, at the same time. Assure it that you are going to transform it into something better... | |
| Using a mostly-sharp blade, begin in the center and make a slice toward the edge. If the blade is brand-new, it will be too sharp, so dull it a little first. However, if it's too dull, you won't be able to move through the label with ease and you'll end up pushing too hard and hitting the recessed edge. Make the slice as parallel to the chip as you can. Pushing down harder here is OK since these are slugged and the metal won't be damaged. As you get toward the edge, slow down and wiggle just a little to prevent you from slipping and taking a flea bite out of the edge. | |
| Once you get close to the edge, angle up a little and the label's laminate will pop up and break. You do not need to run the blade under the label to "lift it" as you would with Paulsons. Instead, you want the opposite; you want to run the blade as LITTLE as possible here. This is because the label is so thin, you'll end up causing a tear that will shear as you pull. | |
| Look at how thin the laminate and label are! In fact, at this point, you're thinking you messed up. Look at how awful a job this is. But it's actually perfect. In the next step, as you start pulling, it will just come up ... | |
| Using angled precision pliers, grab BOTH the laminate and the label that popped up at the end. If the label didn't pop up, forget about it and just grab the laminate. You don't want to scrape at all here - it will just make things worse. Pull with the pliers from the outer edge toward the center, working your way around. The label will not tear. There might be some resistance from the adhesive, but it's OK. You're stronger... | |
| You'll notice that the entire label - the laminate and the vinyl - are coming up as one! You will also notice the adhesive being left behind. We'll clean that up later. Continue to work your way around, pulling from the outer edge toward the center. Then, release and reposition the pliers to grab the new label edge and continue to pull. If you just kept pulling without repositioning the pliers, you run the risk of a tear/shear. Always reposition the pliers and grab low at the edge and pull toward the center. | |
| The label is off! You can see how thin it was and how much adhesive was used. Imagine this thing dissolving and the mess of horror it would leave behind. I will not post those pictures here - it's disturbing. | |
| The chip will have adhesive residue leftover. This is OK - IPA will get rid of it. You will want to soak the IPA on the surface for a few minutes to really help it dissolve. Don't just try to wipe it off - it will be too strong and will create a goopy mess. | |
| Using a dropper, put your IPA on the surface of the chip and let it sit. The longer, the better, but if your IPA evaporates, you'll need to start over. I find about 4 minutes is the sweet spot with this particular adhesive. Once you've waited, take a strip of a paper towel that also has some IPA on it, and start making circular wax-on style motions to clean the surface. You'll notice the adhesive comes off in little globs of goo. That's OK! It'll be removed in the next step. I use a single paper towel sheet that I have ripped lengh-wise and folded over a few times. I soak the edge of it and then wipe hard. Then, I rip off that piece and do it again, and that removes the globs. It's VERY IMPORTANT to discard the paper towel after every wipe. You don't want to use it for more than 1 chip because it will fail to get rid of the globs and you'll get a smeary mess. This is why I wipe, rip, discard, and wipe again. I can make a single paper towel piece last about 10 chips. | |
| And you're done! Clean and ready for a label! I choose to label quickly to prevent any dust from getting onto the surface and possibly bonding to anything I might have missed. |
THE FINAL REVEAL
Originally, when using IPA or NANPR, this took me nearly 10 minutes per chip! However, once I realized that I was better off with a dry pull, I got it down to about 1 minute per chip...
Last edited:
